


Words Unspoken

by LesbianArsenal



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Dick Struggles with Affection, I created a relationship tag, Innuendo (very mild), Kissing, Multi, Non-Sexual Intimacy, fluff and comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 10:15:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13522125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LesbianArsenal/pseuds/LesbianArsenal
Summary: Dick struggles with saying how he feels, but with these three, he knows he doesn't have to.





	Words Unspoken

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to this OT4.

It was a rainy Sunday evening. Dick took comfort in the sound of the drops hitting against his apartment window. He didn’t usually miss the weather in Gotham, but every so often, he found himself comforted by the rain. He liked the way it sounded pouring down, tapping against everything in its path. It made his thoughts seem rhythmic.

Roy was laying against his chest, a book in his hand. He looked at ease, at home. Dick hoped he looked the same way. He took the opportunity to run a hand through Roy’s grown out hair. Roy gave him a hum in response.

“Enjoying the book?” Dick asked.

“Absolutely not. After all these years, I still don’t understand how you can actually enjoy reading things this dry.”

“It’s not dry!” Dick could feel Roy’s laughter more than hear it. “Why are you even reading it then?”

Roy lifted his head back, trying to look up at Dick’s face. “Because you liked it.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to,” Dick replied, but his voice wasn’t nearly as petulant as he had wanted it to be.

Roy clearly picked up on that as he only smiled in reply and then turned back to the book.

The door to Dick’s place opened, and the calm energy was shaken as two soaking wet people found their way to the couch. They both flopped on top of Roy and Dick, their clothes immediately soaking through.

“Garth, do you have to do this every time?” Roy groaned under the weight of the other man, “It’s only so endearing.”

“Impossible, we are nothing but endearing,” Dolphin replied from her position on top of Garth with a smirk.

Dick let out a small cry for help, as the collective weight was a bit much for him. Dolphin moved to the other side of the sofa, and Garth moved slightly to take his weight off Dick and onto Dolphin. He slid his wet feet under Roy, earning him an undignified yelp.

“You know, Jason and Duke make fun of me for covering my furniture in plastic,” Dick said, “They like to say it’s the ‘Gotham Elite’ in me.”

“It’s really just a safety measure,” Roy laughed, squeaking the plastic covered cushions together.

“This city is much better when it rains,” Garth said.

“You say that about every city,” Roy said, rolling his eyes. He placed the now slightly damp book onto the floor and tried to pry Garth’s cold toes from his back. Dick attempted to help, but even their combined strength couldn’t move the Atlantian if he didn’t want to be.

Dolphin was threading her fingers through Garth’s long hair. He had been growing it out for some time, and it was nearly as long as hers now. Dick watched as she started to make an intricate braid with his still-wet locks.

Dick raised an eyebrow as he noticed that Dolphin was wearing a braid as well. He could feel Roy’s body shifting on top of him, and the warmth from his lap disappeared as Roy positioned himself into Garth’s lap instead. Garth smirked as he knew exactly what Roy wanted. He peeled off his shirt and used it to dampen Roy’s hair. 

“Matching braids, guys? Really?” Dick chuckled.

“You’re just jealous you don’t have the hair for it anymore,” Roy pointed a finger at Dick. He leaned into Garth’s touches as he ran his fingertips over Roy’s scalp.

“I am never growing my hair out again,” Dick huffed, “Never.”

“Oh, I’m sure it would look fine,” Dolphin said, “Besides, mullets aren’t in style anymore.”

“They weren’t in style then,” Garth chuckled.

Dick’s whole body sagged against the armrest of the chair. He looked up at the ceiling as he let his head fall over the couch. He felt his feet get grabbed by rough hands and peered over his own chest to see Roy bring them into his lap. Dick let Roy rub them, and he felt at ease.

He could hear the three of them chatting about something. It was mostly inside jokes between them and laughter, but Dick was barely listening. He felt his body melting at Roy’s touches and sleep called to him like it didn’t usually. Something about these three made him feel…

“Hey, we bore you that much?” Dolphin’s voice next to his ear dragged him out of his drowsy state. He cracked his eyes open and saw her sitting cross-legged on the floor behind his head. He noticed she was wearing different clothes. He must have fallen asleep longer than he thought. 

Dick closed his eyes again and smiled. “No, that’s not it.” He felt her run her fingers through his short hair.

“Yeah, I know,” She replied softly. “You hungry? Garth and Roy went to go make some dinner.”

Dick wiggled his toes, missing the feeling of Roy’s touch a bit. He hummed in response to her question. She pressed a light kiss to his forehead before he couldn’t feel her fingers in his hair anymore.

“I’ll wake you up when it’s ready,” She said.

Dick took the invitation to let sleep take him again. He let his mind wander for a moment as his exhaustion took over his body. He could hear the faint sounds of Roy singing something in the kitchen, the barefooted padding of feet on his laminate kitchen floors. It was as much a lullaby as anything his mother had ever sung to him.

Dick’s dream was more a splash of colors than a story. Blue splashed itself across his vision, a sharp red next. Silver and violet tangled themselves into the scene, creating a kaleidoscope of vague feelings and ghostly sensations. He watched as the colors continuously painted scenes of things Dick couldn’t put a name to. He felt light, floating through his own dream like a specter. The colors became more solid, and the paintings seemed to come into focus.

“Dick,” The colors sang to him.

“Hey,” The colors said to him.

“I hate to wake you,” He heard Roy say. His eyes snapped open and he came face to face with Roy’s green eyes. “But I think you should eat, and also, that can’t be good for your neck.”

“Neither is crime fighting,” Dick managed to snark as he pulled himself out of drowsiness.

“Always with a comeback,” Roy smiled.

Dick lifted himself out of his position and cracked his neck to the side. The aroma of whatever Garth and Roy had cooked hit his nose and he moved to get up. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.

He watched as Roy grabbed bowls from the cupboard as Dolphin and Garth swerved around each other and the stove. He could more properly see the braids now and was fascinated by the design. He knew Dolphin would want to find flowers for hers, and that Garth and Roy would absolutely do the same.

Dick chuckled as he imagined the three of them running around, blasting villains with their flowery braids whipping around. They probably would. He pulled his own hand through his hair, and very briefly flirted with the idea of growing his own out. An image of his brothers nearly keeling over in laughter because of an old photo trampled through his mind. He let his hand fall back down.

Garth caught his eyes and nodded his head back towards the couch. Dick nodded towards the mostly unused table in the kitchen. Garth walked up to Dick and put his hands on his waist. Dick let himself be guided back to the living room backwards. Garth pushed slightly, and Dick fell back into the couch, a smile on his face and a feeling pulling at his heart.

“What’s the point of owning a table if I never use it?”

“I didn’t make you buy it,” Garth replied as Dolphin and Roy came into the living room with a couple of trays. They sat them down on the much-more-used coffee table.

Garth sat himself next to Dick and gave him a quick kiss before handing him one of the bowls from the tray. Dolphin settled next to Garth with her own bowl, though she sprawled out so that her feet were securely under Garth’s leg. Roy seemed to take no mind of this and sat himself on the armrest next to Dick.

“This is really good,” Dick groaned as he took a bite.

“That’s what you say about everything they cook,” Dolphin rolled her eyes, though Dick knew she was only teasing.

“I will not take credit for this, I only took orders,” Roy said, waving his fork at Garth. 

Dick chuckled, “It’s good to know you’ll take orders from someone in this room.”

“To be fair, he didn’t do a great job of it for me either,” Garth said.

Roy managed to look offended and Dick snorted. They ate as they lightly argued about whether Dolphin distracting them counted as helping. Dolphin seemed to believe it helped the food taste better, and Dick was in no position to argue that it didn’t.

They shifted a few times during their meal, as they always did. At one point, Roy had slipped behind Dick and awkwardly eaten his food around Dick’s shoulders. Dolphin had rolled her eyes and made room so that Roy could slip between Dick and Garth. Dolphin decided to shift everyone over as she moved from one end of the couch to the other, settling in beside Dick and throwing her legs across his and Roy’s laps.

“You know, it would be easier if we ate at the table.” Dick’s statement was met with two audible boos and a slightly sympathetic look from Garth. “Yeah, I thought it was worth a shot.”

“Okay, who’s doing dishes?” Garth asked. When Dick motioned to move Dolphin’s legs off him, Roy put a hand on his chest.

“Nope, you’re staying right here.”

“Is it the plan to make me not leave the couch today?”

“It’s worked so far,” Roy winked as he got up. He held a hand out to Dolphin dramatically and she took it. “Wash or Dry?”

“You already know the answer,” Dolphin replied as she started stacking everything onto one tray. “I am never dry,” She winked.

Dick shook his head at the faux-scandal that swept across Roy’s face. He watched as they walked into the kitchen. He felt Garth’s hand on his shoulder and looked over. Garth only nodded his head, but Dick somehow knew what he meant anyway. He wasn’t sure if the non-verbal communication came from the years they’ve spent fighting beside each other, or the months they’ve spent sleeping beside each other.

“You don’t have to,” Dick mumbled as he moved to sit between Garth’s legs.

“That’s not the point,” Garth replied as he slid off Dick’s shirt. Dick didn’t bother to feel worried about this act anymore. Garth worked his fingers into the base of his neck.

Dick sighed into the contact. What was left unsaid was that Garth wanted to, he knew he didn’t need to. Dick tried to remind himself of that as Garth worked out the knots that had formed without Dick’s knowledge. He never knew how tense he was until someone melted it away. He felt that pulling at his heart again.

“Thank you,” Dick whispered, though he hadn’t meant to. He knew Garth heard him regardless, but he said it again, louder this time. “Thank you.”

“You are always welcome,” Garth breathed into his ear. Dick felt Garth press a kiss to the base of his neck and that tugging at his heart came back.

He watched Roy and Dolphin come back into the room, braids slightly disheveled from what was probably a very distracted dish washing. Dolphin gave Garth a quick kiss to the lips and a whispered ‘I love you’. Garth returned the whispered declaration in Atlantean.  

Roy gave Garth a less quick kiss and a whispered ‘you’re okay sometimes’, which earned him a light swat he tried to dodge. Roy chuckled and worked on tangling his legs into Dick’s as he settled into the plastic-covered couch. Roy absently rubbed at Dick’s knee and Dick almost couldn’t take the attention.

He felt himself tense up a little again. Garth pulled him into his chest, and Roy scooted himself closer. They always knew exactly when his mood changed.

“It’s okay to be pampered every now and then,” Dolphin’s voice felt very close, and Dick figured she must have her chin resting on Garth’s shoulder.

Dick’s heart tugged at him again.

“You do so much. Let us do things for you sometimes,” Garth added.

The tugging seemed to only worsen.

“It’s okay to let us love you,” Roy said, taking Dick’s hands into his own.

Dick’s heart seemed to want to vacate his chest entirely.

“And,” Roy quickly said, putting a hand on Dick’s cheek, “It’s okay that you don’t want to say it.”

Dick forced himself to let out a breath.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” He whispered. He did want to, it’s how he felt about them, all of them. He listened to the rain continue to pound against the windows and realized that the three of them were waiting for him to speak again.

“I feel comfortable,” He started, unsure of where he was going to go, “I feel safe. I feel…” Dick let himself lean into Garth more. He grabbed the hand that Dolphin had snaked around Garth for him. He tried to pull Roy closer with his legs. “Safe. In a way I didn’t think I could.”

“We know,” Roy said. His thumb brushed over Dick’s cheek again. Dolphin’s thumb ran over his knuckles. Garth’s arms had wrapped around him tighter.

Dick’s heart felt lighter. Even if he didn’t think he could say it exactly, he knew he had said enough. These three were his home, walls be damned.

They stayed like that for a while, listening to the rain fall against the windows, tangled in each other.

Dick ran a hand through his hair.

“Maybe I will grow my hair back out.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought! Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
